Honestly, if you’re just sprinting through the main quest in Tears of the Kingdom, you’re basically eating the crust of a pizza and throwing away the toppings. It’s a waste. While the search for Zelda drives the plot, the 60 specific missions categorized as TotK all side adventures are where the game actually breathes. These aren’t your standard "kill three slimes" chores. They’re multi-stage narrative arcs that fundamentally change the world map, and if you miss them, you're missing the best writing Nintendo has ever put into a Zelda title.
Most players confuse Side Quests with Side Adventures. They aren't the same. Side Quests are short, one-off favors. Side Adventures? Those are the heavy hitters. We’re talking about rebuilding entire towns, becoming a journalist, and hunting down legendary beasts that have nothing to do with Ganondorf.
The Massive Scale of TotK All Side Adventures
There are exactly 60 Side Adventures. That sounds like a lot because it is. You won't find them all by accident. Some are tucked away in stables, while others require you to literally fall out of the sky into the right backyard.
Take the "Potential Princess Sightings!" arc. This is arguably the most famous of the TotK all side adventures because it’s how you get the Froggy Armor. You have to visit 12 different stables across Hyrule, working with Penn—that giant Rito journalist—to debunk rumors about Zelda. It’s repetitive in structure but brilliant in execution. Each stable tells a localized story about how the "Upheaval" has messed with people's heads. One minute you're investigating a missing tool, the next you're realizing the local NPCs are terrified of a "monster" that turns out to be a misunderstanding. This is world-building 101. It makes Hyrule feel like a place where people actually live, not just a playground for a guy in green tunics.
Why the Lucky Clover Gazette Changes Everything
You start this journey at the Lucky Clover Gazette, located just outside Rito Village. If you don't go there early, you're making the game harder for yourself. Why? Because Penn is your gateway to the most consistent source of Rupees and gear in the early game. Plus, the Froggy Armor makes climbing in the rain—a notorious mechanic that everyone hates—actually manageable.
The beauty of these missions is the lack of a "correct" order. You might spend ten hours helping Mayor Reede and Cece in Hateno Village before you even realize there's a whole separate questline about a terrifying "Gloom-Borne Illness" in Kakariko. The game doesn't hold your hand. It just lets you wander into a political election or a plague, and honestly, that’s why it works.
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From Hateno Politics to Lurelin Restoration
Let’s talk about Hateno. The election between Cece and Mayor Reede is a masterpiece of small-town drama. It starts with "Team Cece or Team Reede?" and spirals into a series of sub-missions where you're bribing voters with mushrooms and sneaking into sheds to find secret diaries. It’s low stakes compared to saving the world, but it feels vital. By the time you finish this branch of the TotK all side adventures, you’ve unlocked the ability to lower your Hylian Hood. It’s a cosmetic reward, sure, but the satisfaction comes from seeing the town tension resolve.
Then there’s Lurelin Village.
When you first arrive, the place is a wreck. Monsters have moved in, the buildings are smashed, and the residents are refugees. "Ruffian-Infested Village" is a brutal fight if you’re under-geared, but the payoff is "Lurelin Village Restoration Project." You have to bring logs and rice. You have to play architect. When the village is fixed, you get free lodging and free meals for the rest of the game. It’s one of the few times Link feels like a hero to the common folk rather than just a divine warrior.
The Great Fairies and the Serenade to a Mija
You can’t upgrade your armor without the Great Fairies. In Breath of the Wild, you just paid them money. In Tears of the Kingdom, they’re traumatized and hiding in their buds. To get them out, you have to help the Stable Trotters, a traveling band of musicians.
These missions—like "Serenade to Mija" or "Serenade to Kaysa"—require you to find specific band members who have gotten themselves into ridiculous scrapes. One is stuck in a hole; another is obsessed with honey. You use the Ultrahand to build stagecoach-like contraptions to haul the band up to the Fairy Fountains. It’s goofy. It’s tedious. It’s quintessential Zelda.
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The Darker Side: The Yiga Clan and the Depths
Not all TotK all side adventures are about music and mushrooms. The Yiga Clan questline is massive. You have to find their various branches, infiltrate their hideouts, and eventually take on Master Kohga in the Depths. This is where the game gets weird. "Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan" isn't just one fight; it’s a series of vehicular combat encounters across the underworld.
You’ll be building tanks, planes, and hovercrafts to chase down a guy who thinks he’s a genius but is actually a moron. This questline is the primary way to get "Autobuild" schematics, which are essential for late-game efficiency. If you ignore the Yiga, you’re stuck manually gluing every single fan and board for the entire 100-hour experience. Don't do that to yourself.
Misconceptions About the Quest Log
A lot of people think they’ve finished TotK all side adventures when they see a credits roll. They haven't. Many missions only unlock after you’ve completed specific temples or reached certain milestones in the main quest. For instance, the "A Call from the Depths" mission, which involves a literal talking statue in the Temple of Time ruins, is often missed because it requires you to drain water from a specific gate in the Great Plateau.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed. The quest log is a mess of tabs. But the distinction is clear: if it has a red exclamation mark in a diamond, it’s a Side Adventure. If it’s just a diamond, it’s a Side Quest. Focus on the red ones first.
Finding the Legendary Beasts and the Monster Forces
The "Bring Peace to..." missions are some of the most satisfying. You team up with a squad of Hylian soldiers to raid monster strongholds. It’s basically Dynasty Warriors lite. These missions—"Bring Peace to Hyrule Field," "Bring Peace to Eldin"—make it feel like there is an actual war going on. You aren't a lone wolf anymore; you're the tip of the spear for a legitimate resistance movement.
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Actionable Steps for Completing All Adventures
If you’re looking to check off every box in the TotK all side adventures list, stop wandering aimlessly and follow a structural plan.
- Prioritize the Lucky Clover Gazette. Go to the Rito region first. Start the "Potential Princess Sightings!" quest. This opens up 12 sub-adventures and gives you the cash flow you need for the rest of the game.
- Hit the Great Plateau. It’s not just for nostalgia. The "A Call from the Depths" quest there is a hidden gem that leads to one of the most unique rewards: an extra Heart Container or Stamina Vessel that doesn't come from a shrine.
- Follow the Stable Trotters. If you see a stagecoach with no wheels, fix it. If you see a musician, talk to them. Getting all four Great Fairies out is the difference between surviving a Silver Lynel and getting one-shot through your shirt.
- Rebuild Lurelin Early. The free resources you get once the village is restored (including a free treasure chest game every day) save you hours of grinding for materials later.
- Check the Depths regularly. Master Kohga isn't just a boss; his questline maps out a huge chunk of the underground and provides the Crystallized Charges you need to upgrade your battery.
Tackling TotK all side adventures is less about "completing a game" and more about "living in a world." The main quest is the spine, but these adventures are the muscle and skin. They provide the context for why Hyrule is worth saving in the first place. You'll find yourself caring more about a mushroom-obsessed fashion designer or a clumsy bird-journalist than the actual princess you're supposed to be finding. And honestly? That's exactly how Nintendo intended it.
By the time you reach the final boss, your map should be a chaotic mess of completed icons. That’s not clutter; that’s a resume of a hero who actually bothered to help people. So, stop looking for Zelda for a second. Go help a guy fix a sign or find a lost flutist in a tree. It’s worth the detour.
To stay organized, keep a physical or digital checklist of the 60 adventures. The game doesn't give you a counter until you beat the final boss once, so tracking them manually or through a completionist map is the only way to ensure you haven't missed a stray encounter in the far reaches of the Hebra mountains or the Faron jungles.